A MONUMENT WITH MANY LIVES
Like many of Istanbul’s historical monuments, the Kariye Camii has lived several lives, each reflecting a different chapter of the city’s history.
Originally built as the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora during the reign of Justinian (527–565), the structure stood just outside the early city walls of Constantinople, within the later Theodosian walls that still survive today. The word chora means countryside in ancient Greek, referring to its original location beyond the urban core.
CRUSADERS, OTTOMANS AND REDISCOVERY
The church was damaged during the Fourth Crusade (1204–1261), when Western European forces established the short-lived Latin Empire in Constantinople. It was later rebuilt and magnificently decorated in the 13th and 14th centuries with mosaics and frescoes that remain among the finest surviving examples of late Byzantine art. After the Ottoman conquest of 1453, Grand Vizier Hadım Ali Pasha converted the church into a mosque in 1511, and the imagery was gradually covered with plaster.
In 1945 the building was turned into a museum and extensive restorations revealed the remarkable decoration beneath. After serving as a museum for decades, Chora was reconverted into a mosque and today can again be visited. Entrance is possible with a ticket, currently 20 Euro per person. During prayer times the interior is closed to visitors, however outside those hours it is possible to enter and carefully view the mosaics.
AMONG THE FINEST MOSAICS OF THE BYZANTINE WORLD
The mosaics narrate biblical stories almost like a visual manuscript, including scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, the infancy of Christ and episodes from Christ’s ministry, spread across the domes, vaults and narthexes. In terms of artistic quality and narrative complexity, they are often considered to rival, and by many specialists even surpass, the celebrated mosaics of Ravenna, offering one of the most refined surviving examples of late Byzantine art anywhere in the world.
VISITING CHORA MOSQUE TODAY
Located near the Theodosian Land Walls and within walking distance of the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque by Mimar Sinan, the monument sits slightly away from the main historic peninsula yet rewards the visit with one of the most intimate encounters with Byzantine art in the city.
We can also include a visit to Chora as part of our Fener, Balat and Golden Horn tour. Although it is not normally included in the standard program, the route can easily be adjusted accordingly.
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